The Power Of Love
by xStelenaJouren
Summary: New J/L one shot. Read inside for details


The Power Of Love.

AN: so the J/L break up is making me want to think of & write their reunion more and more everyday. This is just another idea how I thought of. It when he knows the truth & she is starting to turn her life around.

I'm so in love with you.

Make love your goal.

-The Power Of Love by Gabrielle Aplin

"I think you should get up, Lauren Branning" A voice said, disturbing Lauren's sleep. She opened her eyes, saw Abi and groaned, placing her hand over head.

"And what's that?" Lauren asked, sighing.

"Because it's over 18 degrees outside and I think you should fully enjoyed the summer whilst we have it" Abi replied, smiling.

"Whatever, Abi. I need sleep more than sun" Lauren proclaimed, turning on her side.

"I don't know, Lauren, you are looking a little pale. A bit of sun and you'll be fine!" Abi said, smiling.

"You're gonna pay for that, Abi Branning" Lauren exclaimed, moving, pushing her covers aside and jumped out of bed, narrowing her eyes at her sister and walked out of room, putting on her slippers as she did when there was a knock on the door. Lauren looked and saw her Nan in the kitchen, holding her head with cigarette held hand and the other holding a glass of whiskey.

"I'll get that, shall I? It's not like I'm rocking an right attractive look right now" Lauren exclaimed, referring to her pyjamas and bed hair, pointing to herself. Cora didn't reply and Lauren rolled her eyes, before answering the door. Her face fell when she saw Joey. She quickly recovered.

"Erm Hey" She coughed, trying to return her voice to normal pitch and sound causal "What's up?"

"Cora left this at the club last night" He replied, holding out her Nan's handbag.

"So that's what is wrong with her. I should of known" She replied, looking back before quickly looking at him again, talking the bag "Thanks"

Their fingers brushed for a second and they both knew, as it fuelled the fires in them, their eyes locking. They were brought back to reality when they heard Cora moving behind them.

"Don't let me disturb you reacting Romeo and Juliet. I'm going back to bed" Cora said. Lauren narrowed her eyes and moved back inside, not closing the door. Joey just stood there, not sure what to do.

"Hey! You left this at the club. I thought I was supposed to the drunk one in the family?" Lauren proclaimed, holding out the bag.

"Did your boyfriend bring that?" Cora asked, taking it.

"He's not" Lauren stopped when she realised the front door was ajar and moved to shut it. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Oh yes. Because you are letting Lucy Beale of all people win, Lauren. Think about that, darling. Now I need sleep" Cora replied, heading upstairs.

"You don't understand!" Lauren said loudly, wishing her mum was still here when there was a knock on the door. She groaned, going to open it.

"Seriously, Joey, leave me-" She stopped when she saw Peter. She smiled at him.

"Hey, Pete. Sorry thought you were someone else. Come in" She said, holding the door open for him. He had only been back a few weeks but she was happy he was.

"Wanna come to the cafe for breakfast?" He asked, smiling.

"Is your crazy bitch of a twin gonna be there?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow. He sighed and nodded.

"Then you know my answer" She added, taking the hair tie from her waist and tied her hair up.

"It's like I've entered an alternate universe since returning" He commented, sighing.

"Well we ain't 15 years old anymore, that's why. Right, if you wait here, I need a shower and get changed then you can take me somewhere half decent for breakfast" She replied, not waiting for answer and went upstairs to have a shower...

"You gotta admit the coffee is better at the caf" Peter said, as they left a cafe a few streets away from the square.

"Yeah but I still wanna rip the head of the owner so it's something I'm gonna have to deal with" Lauren replied, sighing.

"That's Lucy for you. Thought you would of worked that out by now?" He said, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought we were friends. I know I was with her ex but this? It's bordering on mental. Wait, it is mental!" She exclaimed, shaking her head.

"So you and Joey a done deal?" He questioned, trying to sound causal.

"He had the chance to believe me and he didn't. How can I be with someone that doesn't believe me?" She asked, sighing.

"Think of it from his point of view. His current girlfriend, who has a drinking problem, tells him that his ex spiked her drink? It sounds mental, I know it's Luce but come on!" He proclaimed, as they sat on a bench.

"I gave up drinking for him! I wanted a fresh start. How could he think I would made that up?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Because to be honest, again aside the fact it's Lucy, it sounds mental, babe. You have to see that" He said, half smiling.

"But.." She couldn't think of anything to say as he raised an eyebrow at her. She sighed and unexpectedly rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around him.

"Oh god, Peter, what am I gonna do?" She asked, nearly crying...

"You guys need to sort yourselves out" Alice said to Joey as they walked back to the square.

"How, Al? I messed up big style!" He replied, sighing.

"You guys love each other" She said, her attention suddenly taken as she saw Peter and Lauren on a bench, looking close. Too close. She looked back at her brother "You'll be fine, I promise"

"What's wrong, Alice?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I've just remembered I left something back at that place. Come on, I need to find it" She replied, trying to hurry him along but he saw straight through her. He looked over her shoulder and saw Lauren with Peter. Close. Too close. Her head on his shoulder. His arm around her. There was a time he was the one doing that, not Peter.

"She's moved on" Joey said, quietly, feeling sick.

"Moving backwards you mean" Alice replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Either way, she's not with me" He said, turning the other way.

"Joe, what are you gonna do?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm.

"I've lost her. There's not much I can do" He replied, before heading towards the boxing gym. Alice quickly followed him. She watched him grab some boxing gloves after taking his coat off, putting them on and started to release his feelings on a punching bag.

"I'm guessing this is Peter's face you're imagining right?" She questioned, sighing.

"Nope. Mine" He replied, each punch getting harder.

"You have to stop this. The self hate. This isn't your fault. The only person to blame is Lucy!" Alice said, trying to comfort him but he pushed her off, sighing, groaning in anger loudly before the anger turned into upset. He sighed, pushing the punching bag out of the way and slid down the wall, his head in his hands. She sighed and sat next to him.

"She is the only girl I've have ever loved and probably the only one I ever will. And I've lost her, Al. There's nothing I can do!" He sighed, feeling the tears coming.

"Then tell her. Everyday. Never give up" She told him.

"I'm not asking her to forgot. I couldn't ask her to do but I just want her to forgive me and to understand and realise how much I love her" Joey replied, sighing.

"Tell her then!" Alice proclaimed, shaking her head.

"No, she's moved on. I just want her to be happy. And if it's not with me, I gotta allow her to. It's time for me to move on" He said, standing up, wiping his eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked, also standing up.

"I'm going back to Mum's. I'm sorry" He replied, before leaving the boxing gym.

Alice found herself a few hours later knocking on Number 4's front door. Lauren answered, looking confused as Alice scrambled inside.

"What's wro-"

"Joey's leaving" Alice cut across Lauren, a little out of breath.

"What do you mean Joey's leaving?" Lauren asked, crossing his arms.

"Exactly what I just said. He's leaving. Going back to Mum's" Alice replied, sighing.

"Joey isn't leaving. Don't be stupid. He wouldn't just leave" Lauren's voice trailed off when she saw the expression on her cousins face.

"You've moved on so he is gonna move on" Alice told her, sighing.

"Moving on? Define moving on, Al. Cos last time I checked and last time we talked, I was battling with my head and heart!" Lauren exclaimed, nearly shouting.

"Well we saw you with Peter earlier" Alice said, quietly.

"What do you mean 'we saw you with Peter earlier'?" Lauren questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't act dumb when you're not, Lauren. Me and Joey. We saw you with Peter earlier. He had his arm around you and you had your head on his shoulder" Alice said. Lauren stared at her, confused when it clicked.

"Oh my god, no. No. That's not what it looks like" Lauren said "Anyways Pete has the hots for you"

"Shut up, getting my hopes up. We know what we saw" Alice replied, sighing.

"You gotta believe me, Al. I needed a shoulder to cry on. Literally. Because I've realised that I do forgive Joey after all" Lauren told her, sighing.

Alice beamed at her "That's all he wants from you! He's not asking you to forgot but he wants you to forgive him. You know how much he loves you"

"And I love him. And I forgive him" Lauren said, smiling.

"Then go and tell him, please before he leaves!" Alice exclaimed, sighing.

"You're right. When will he be?" Lauren asked, grabbing her coat.

"The R&R. He's handing in his no-" Lauren didn't allow Alice to finish because she ran out the room and out the door.

"Good luck" Alice called after her, running to the door, watching Lauren running around the square gardens.

"Don't need it. It's me" She shouted back to Alice before sprinting through the market, nearly knocking over Lucy.

"Half price sale at the supermarket on the booze or something?" She said, bitterly at Lauren.

"You know what I would love to knock your head off but you're not even worth it. Why knock down an already loser? See you around, Luce!" Lauren exclaimed, laughing before running the club, ignoring the snitch in her side and ran down the steps to see Sharon doing a stock check.

"You've just missed him. I take it you know about this?" Sharon asked, holding up a piece of paper. Lauren assumed it was Joey's notice.

"No. No. No. No" Lauren chanted under her breath before running from the club when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She saw a text from Alice.

He is at home, about to leave. HURRY! x

Lauren gasped, trying to catch her breath before running back to the square and through the gardens. She slowed down when she saw Joey leaving Number 23.

"Gonna leave without saying goodbye?" She questioned, catching her breath.

"Why make things more complicated then they need to be, Lauren?" He asked, adjusting his hold on his bag and walked in the opposite direction. She narrowed her eyes and walked onto the road, staring after him.

"So that's it? After everything we've been through you're just gonna leave?" She proclaimed loudly, crossing her arms. He sighed and turned around, looking at her.

"You've moved on. It's time I did too" He replied, sighing.

"Who said I moved on? Alice told me. Me and Peter. That's ancient history. I needed a shoulder to cry on. He was there. We both know its yours I would rather cry on" She told him, half smiling.

"It's too late. I've lost you. Because my lack of belief in you" He sighed, turning to leave.

"I love you" Joey turned around as Lauren said this "And it's because I love you that I forgive you"

He stared at her, narrowing his eyes.

"Do you mean that?" He asked, his eyes finding hers.

"Yes. I've never meant anything more" She replied, holding out her hand. He looked at her intensely before walking forward and dropping his bag. He ignored her hand and acted on a impulse, taking her face in his hand and kissed her. She turned into him, responding, as if her life depended on it, placing her hands on his arms. They finally pulled away, catching their breath, resting their foreheads against the other.

Lauren picked up his bag, taking his hand and took him back inside number 23. As she had dropped his bag again and he had closed the door, Joey was kissing her again, backing her towards a wall, his hands on her waist, pulling her closer behind they got closer to the staircase. He pulled away, facing away.

"What's wrong?" She asked, quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't, Lauren. I just can't" He gasped, sighing.

"Why can't we? This is our way. The only way. No words are needed. We just know" She replied, trying to turn him.

"I don't deserve you. I really don't" He sighed, turning.

"Sssh, no words remember. Just us. Always" She whispered, before kissing him again and he didn't resist. He kissed her like there was nothing else on the earth. She pulled away for a moment, taking his hand and they walked upstairs. They stopped on the landing, their eyes boring into each others, kissing again before they started ridding each other of their clothes, gently caressing each other as they did before descending to the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed and stripping off their underwear and he sank into her, becoming one again.

Lauren gasped loudly, wrapping her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. She caressed his face, before gently running the pad of her thumb across his lips before kissing again as she felt both their climaxes near. She moaned, titling her head back, her hand turned out as he clasped it with his own hand. She climaxed loudly before Joey did, collapsing against her, panting, kissing her chest.

"Oi, Joseph Branning, I do hope these are Lauren's clothes out here" Alice's voice shouted from outside. Lauren giggled, tapping him and he rolled off. She grabbed her kickers and one of his t'shirts from his drawer before opening the bedroom door. Alice breathed a sigh of relief, pulling her outside, hugging her and Lauren began to feel a sense of normality return to her life again.


End file.
